J&K's Anantnag assembly bypoll on June 19: Election Commission

The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of the then state Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in January

The bypoll to the Anantnag assembly seat in Jammu and Kashmir, which was postponed by the the Election Commission after the state government flagged law and order issues, will now take place on June 19.

The Commission said the notification for the bypoll, necessitated following the demise of the then state Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in January, will be issued on May 25.

While the elections will be held on June 19, the counting will take place on June 22, the poll panel said.

The EC had earlier announced bypoll to this seat along with eight other assembly constituencies on May 16.

The Election Commission had in April announced postponement of bypoll to the prestigious Anantnag assembly seat after the Jammu and Kashmir government said the law and order situation in the district was "not conducive".

The Commission had cited a communication by state Chief Secretary B R Sharma who had said that the law and order situation of Anantnag district "due to certain recent incidents is not conducive at the moment for holding the bye-election".

He had requested the Commission to postpone the bye-election from Anantnag Assembly constituency for the time being.

The decision had drawn flak from the Opposition National Conference.